Today must be Canada Day at Rock Music Critic, because next on the agenda we have Derelict, who hails from Montreal. I was surprised and pleased to learn that the singer for Derelict is none other than Eric Burnet of Ricburn Media. Nice, dude!

Derelict play a brutal and technical death metal which, according to their bio sheet, has led people to compare them to such metal heavy-weights as Death, Strapping Young Lad, and The Black Dahlia Murder. I can confirm this as, before reading the bio, one of my first thoughts was “sounds kind of like Death. Man, I miss Chuck.” I totally get the Strapping Young Lad thing too. I am not enough of a BDM fan to make a call on that one, but that does not matter, all you need to know is, this is some quality shit.

The music takes the listener on a ride at break-neck speed, but do not worry, it takes the corners with pinpoint accuracy. The drums are like machine guns, and the guitars are lightning-fast, surgically precise tools of musical mayhem. Eric’s vocals are harsh and tight (there is nothing sloppy about this album) and tie all the pieces together in a nice, neat, chaotic package. If you were to think of a death metal band, say Cannibal Corpse, and label their sound as being “typically athletic”, by comparison Derelict’s sound would be a lean and tone Olympic athlete. They would probably take the gold too lol.

The only complaint I have about the production is that I had to turn the volume way up to listen to the album at my usual listening level. Other than that the production sounds fantastic, particularly for death metal.

I am glad to say I can easily recommend “Perpetuation.” You can find them on Facebook, MySpace, Reverbnation, Bandcamp, iTunes, or on their own official website. Hell, you can even hear the lead track off the album below. Check ‘em out!